


what do you (call waiting)

by olavidalo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Infidelity, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 22:33:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olavidalo/pseuds/olavidalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>God bless the bloody paps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	what do you (call waiting)

**Author's Note:**

> Very hastily written lies. Unbeta'ed, unbritpicked lies.

The gas station attendant hesitates when she gives her her change.  
  
'Hey,' she says, tilting her head, 'aren't you--?'  
  
Dani doesn't pause, doesn't slide her eyes down to the mags on display - _It's OVER! Liam Payne and longtime love split up amidst cheating rumours_ \- doesn't even blink.  
  
'No,' she says. And smiles.

 

* * *

 

She keeps cooking for two. Loki eats the leftovers, bless him.

 

* * *

 

The tabs go into a frenzy after Liam's spotted out with the New Woman. Dani can-not-be-reached-for-comment's her way through a month or so of the media cycle and is very much forgotten by the time they're engaged. Well, except for by The Sun. They never forget anything or anyone. _Payne's Princess DETHRONED_ , blares their Sunday morning headline, placed above a terrible photo of Dani looking blotchy and distraught.  
  
At the time she'd merely been explaining to a McDonald's employee that she hadn't wanted any mayo on her burger, really, and was it so much to ask that they take it back? Course, now it looks like she's having a mental breakdown.

God bless the bloody paps.

Her boss is as liticaphobic as ever: she cancels all of Dani's weekend classes and tells her to 'take her time'.  
  
So Dani does: she takes her time with _Misery_ , a bottle of red, some double fudge ice cream, and, belatedly, a day old salad that needs seeing to. Liam calls her once she's really gotten going. What starts as a quick check-up devolves swiftly into a lovely, drawn out screaming match. After awhile, she just puts him on speaker and goes to bed. If she dared hang up on him, he would just ring her back again and again until she picked up. Relentless, he is.

No matter that he's talking all this tosh, really; when it comes to Liam, it's best to just wait him out.

 

* * *

 

Liam & Christine are honoured to invite her to their engagement party.  
  
Dani is very honoured to decline.

 

* * *

 

Sarah sets her up on a date with one of her co-workers. Ike's very kind. Former footballer. Fucks like a champ.  
  
So sly she doesn't notice the ring until the next morning.  
  
'He's _married_ ,' Liam says, when she picks up her phone without looking, the day after their fourth date.  
  
'Well, I'm not exactly gonna invite his wife out to lunch, now am I?' she snaps. He's getting married but she can't even get a fifth date?

Liam hangs up.

 

* * *

_THE EX AND THE OTHER WOMAN_ , say Tuesday's headlines, a day after Christine takes her out to lunch. Christine is, unfortunately, entirely lovely. Not that Dani regrets anything; she just imagines there to be a certain kind of satisfaction from seeing your ex get engaged to someone who can't even look you in the eye. Christine can look her in the eye, though; and does. Besides the whole cheating thing, unfortunately, she's good people. Barrister, independently wealthy. Wicked sense of humour. White.

Younger, too. Prettier.  
  
'Not prettier,' Zayn assures her, when he calls. He's never been good with taking sides. Still, Dani's fairly certain he's not rushing to tell Liam that he communicates semi-regularly with his ex-girlfriend. Perrie doesn't seem to know, either. (Not that Dani would know if she did, really. They've since -- fallen out of touch.)  
  
'Zayn, believe me, I've seen her, she's prettier,' Dani says, wrong-side-up on her bed. She wiggles her toes against the headboard, does a few scissor kicks.  
  
'Well, I've seen you, too,' says Zayn, in a flirty tone that is clearly borne out of habit. He clears his throat. 'No competition, really.'  
  
'Yea,' says Dani, and she tips over an old, old photo of them with her foot, 'no competition.'

 

* * *

 

'Can I come over?' Liam whispers.  
  
Dani turns to her bedside table, peels her eyes open. 'Babe...it's 2 o'clock in the morning.'  
  
 _You're getting married in 7 hours_.  
  
'I know,' he says, still quiet. She wonders if Christine's right next to him, pretending, as she'd tried, not to hear him. 'I just--I've not seen Loki in a while. I really miss 'im.'  
  
 _You're getting married in 7 hours._  
  
She swallows. 'He--he misses you, too.'  
  
 _You're getting married in 7 hours._  
  
'Danielle,' he pleads, and she knows he must be crying, because she is, too.  
  
'What, Liam?' she whispers. 'What do you want?'  
  
'I want,' he says, 'I want--'  
  
'--yea,' she says, 'me, too.'

Hanging up is much easier than anticipated. She sets her mobile on silent, tosses it to the end of the bed. Rolls over onto his side.

And waits.

 

* * *

 

_RUNAWAY GROOM? Liam Payne a no-show at one of most widely anticipated weddings of the season_


End file.
